140 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



milkers that their beef-producing quality and the final disposition 

 of their carcasses may be largely ignored; and the calves, except so 

 far as wanted to raise for the dairy, are given little consideration. 

 Which of these lines of policy should be pursued every dairyman 

 must determine for himself. To succeed in his business he should 

 select his herd or its foundation with a view to profit. Whether he 

 should buy, breed, and feed his cows, having in view only their dairy 

 products and capacity for reproduction, or whether he will find it 

 more profitable to include the items of beef and veal, must be largely 

 determined by home conditions. 



Special Adaptation. Within the general class of dairy cattle 

 one can find great variety and can therefore select breeds or families 

 well adapted to the special needs in view. Some dairy cattle are 

 noted for the quantity of milk they produce; others for the high 

 quality or richness of their milk. Some combine quantity and qual- 

 ity in a specially economical w r ay, under some circumstances. There 

 are cows of active habits, which forage well on a wide range of 

 scanty pasture, and will profitably work up the coarser kinds of food 

 in winter. There are others which have proved their capacity for 

 making good returns when more closely confined and subjected to 

 high feeding. Some cows give a great flow of milk for a compara- 

 tively short season, and others are noted for an even, steady yield 

 of milk the year through. The dairyman can easily find cattle, 

 therefore, adapted to his particular wants. As a rule, the different 

 dairy characteristics named pertain to different breeds, so that every 

 dairyman is likely to find some one breed of dairy cattle better suited 

 to his wants than any other. 



This is not the place to revive the never-ended "battle of the 

 breeds." No matter how strong one's convictions, discretion must be 

 exercised. Pronounced opinions and direct advice as to the several 

 recognized dairy breeds are here unnecessary. Evidence abounds 

 on every side, and every dairyman, or prospective dairyman, can 

 satisfy himself as to the cattle he should adopt, if he will but make 

 a proper study of the subject. He need not go far in this country to 

 find the kind or breed of cows for milk supply, one for butter mak- 

 ing, or one for the cream trade. There is no special cheese-making 

 cow ; the best butter cow is also the best for cheese ; this fact has been 

 demonstrated beyond dispute. 



Formation of the Dairy Herd. There are two very different 

 ways of forming a dairy herd and of maintaining its size and quality. 

 It may be done by buying or breeding or these two methods may be 

 combined. 



By Purchase. The purchasing plan is practiced to a consider- 

 able extent by those who produce milk for town and city supply. In 

 a few cases it has been known to be successful where the work of the 

 herd was to make butter. Applied in its extreme form, cows are 

 bought when mature and at their prime, judged almost exclusively 

 by their milk yield, are highly fed so as to keep steadily gaining in 

 flesh, and are sold, usually to the butcher, as soon as they cease to be 

 profitable as milkers. The bull may be of any kind so long as he 



